Pasquini Livietta (Olympia Maximatic) restoration - Page 5

Equipment doesn't work? Troubleshooting? If you're handy, members can help.
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RAS (original poster)
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#41: Post by RAS (original poster) »

I found the picture of all the items I took to Orange County Plating. Pretty extensive, and once I saw the quality of work they did (and the reasonable prices they charged), I brought even more to them. The picture below shows mainly parts from the Cremina, but also includes some parts from my Livietta (brew group, PF, spout, steam wand, and bottom plate that was pretty rusted), and from my Caffarex (top chrome piece that had a deep scratch in it... all but gone now, and the electro-polishing made it sparkle again - I really recommend this for stainless pieces which can't be chrome plated).
Bob

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drgary
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#42: Post by drgary »

Thanks, guys. Before posting more pictures, Sherman said I should consider a Fluid-O-Tech pump rather than keep the Ulka one I've got and adjust pressure. The FOT pump is $67.50 at Orphan Espresso. http://www.orphanespresso.com/Fluid-O-T ... _3617.html I'll ask Doug's advice.

Bob said I shouldn't worry about the captive nut on the steam wand.

"What me worry?" (Alfred E. Newman)

He also suggests I send the stainless steel for electro-polishing. I'll check that out. May hold onto the front plate, though, and polish that by hand instead of trying to remove the Coffex badge.

Someone suggested gently heating to remove the serial number badge. Did that and it came off easily. Whoever last fastened that one on there did so with rubber cement. I'm appreciative.

More Dis-assembly

I've now separated the base frame and water tank bracket, so I can send these out to be powder coated. As before, I've uploaded these photos in full resolution so you can magnify and inspect them in detail here: https://picasaweb.google.com/drgarysee/ ... directlink

There was still a stubborn, rusted hex nut bolt holding the tank bracket on with a lock washer and frozen rust. I tried more scraping with a pick tool and Dremel polishing wheel, hammered it, used penetrating oil, heating it, nothing doing. So I cut a slot in the bolt and tried to loosen it with a screwdriver. Still nothing doing.



So I turned to my contractor who deals with things like this all the time. He took my vise grip pliers, got a good grip, and got it moving. Thank you Miguel Bueno! (The best there is.)



Here are a couple of views of the rusted water tank bracket:





There were a couple of rusted hex bolts flush with the frame holding the boiler on. I applied penetrating oil and heat, and then this hex key torque handle by Husky to get them to break free and come out. There was a cracking sound when that happened, but nothing broke. I was applying enough pressure that the hex key was distorting over its length, but it returned to normal.



Other things routinely came loose, and I was able to lift out the boiler assembly. Now there are two stubborn things to get off the base frame so I can powder coat it. Sherman wrote that he had to destroy the feet to get them off. Is there any other way to remove them? Also, I couldn't figure out how to get the strain lock rubber fitting off of the power cord. How is that removed?



Here's a full picture of the frame so you can see why I want to refinish it:



At this point I could inspect the bottom of the boiler more closely for gasket leaks. I can see lime scale there, so it looks like I'll have to change that out. Here are a couple of views:



Gary
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What I WOULD do for a good cup of coffee!

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RAS (original poster)
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#43: Post by RAS (original poster) »

Yes, I'd also say the Fluid-o-Tech pump is a great way to go. Greg Scace (gscace here on HB) got a pressure-profile table that shows it's pretty-much perfect for espresso - without an OPV.

Glad the serial number plate/tag came off easily - mine did as well with gentle heating and dental floss.

Now, for the feet, I did destroy mine (Channel Lock pliers pulling hard on them did it :wink: ) on my Livietta. On my Cremina, I tried a different approach: I drilled a hole in the middle at the top of each foot (maybe 1/8" diameter) that didn't go all the way through. This made the top of the foot "pinchable" for lack of a better work, and allowed me to get a small slotted/flat screwdriver between the top of the foot and the frame, and gently work that flanged part of the foot through the frame hole and voila! - got all the feet out without destroying them. Then, I was able, using a little good-ol personal lubricant to slip the feet back into the frame when my restoration was finished.

Also, I was in the same boat when it came to the front piece of my Livietta... I didn't mess with electro-polishing it (because of the stuck-on "Livietta" badge like your Coffex badge). Brite Boy metal polish and some elbow-grease, and it looks darned good. One word of warning: The edges are SUPER sharp if you run your hand against them... I got some nasty cuts while polishing mine. You may even consider wearing gloves, or at least one glove - on the hand you hold it with.
Bob

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drgary
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#44: Post by drgary »

RAS wrote:Yes, I'd also say the Fluid-o-Tech pump is a great way to go. Greg Scace (gscace here on HB) got a pressure-profile table that shows it's pretty-much perfect for espresso - without an OPV."
Yes, and here's the thread: Vibe pump question (related to low-flow at brew-group)
RAS wrote:I drilled a hole in the middle at the top of each foot (maybe 1/8" diameter) that didn't go all the way through. This made the top of the foot "pinchable" for lack of a better work, and allowed me to get a small slotted/flat screwdriver between the top of the foot and the frame, and gently work that flanged part of the foot through the frame hole and voila! - got all the feet out without destroying them.
Nice. Great tip!
RAS wrote:Then, I was able, using a little good-ol personal lubricant :shock: to slip the feet back into the frame when my restoration was finished.
What can I say???
RAS wrote:Also, I was in the same boat when it came to the front piece of my Livietta... I didn't mess with electro-polishing it (because of the stuck-on "Livietta" badge like your Coffex badge). Brite Boy metal polish and some elbow-grease, and it looks darned good. One word of warning: The edges are SUPER sharp if you run your hand against them... I got some nasty cuts while polishing mine. You may even consider wearing gloves, or at least one glove - on the hand you hold it with.
Thanks for the warning on the sharp edges. I was lucky mine wasn't sharp, but thanks for letting me know the hand polishing worked.
Gary
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What I WOULD do for a good cup of coffee!

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RAS (original poster)
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#45: Post by RAS (original poster) »

Gary,

One question of yours I forgot to address: Getting the power cord detached from the frame. The right way to do that is to use "strain-relief" pliers. The cheater way is to, very carefully, use a set of pliers. If you anticipate doing other Olympia restorations besides this one, get a pair the strain-relief pliers, Heyco makes some great (expensive) ones. Other companies make less expensive ones that'll do the trick - just not as nicely. Do a Google search for "strain relief pliers" and you'll see your options.

Me? I used adjustable-opening pliers set to a wide opening. A bit of a pain, but it worked.
Bob

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drgary
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#46: Post by drgary »

I was able to get the strain relief off using channel lock pliers to pull it through. It looks like it will be easy to reinstall.

I tried Bob's suggestion to drill the feet to remove them:



I wasn't able to finesse them out of the frame, so I tore a couple of them out using the channel locks. I cut the caps off of the other two with a hobby knife.



But looking at these with the hole in the middle, it occurred to me I can reinstall them by packing the cap with the foot from which it was removed. Then when it's time for reassembly, I'll get short, fat, stubby, self-tapping screws to reattach them. No chance to apply the "personal lubricant," but you can get your thrills in all kinds of ways! :roll:
Gary
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What I WOULD do for a good cup of coffee!

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RAS (original poster)
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#47: Post by RAS (original poster) »

Gary, that was my exact thought as well - to use the hole I'd drilled to send a stubby screw through to reconnect the top of the foot to the base. I was able to get all feet out, then back in successfully, but it was a pain. My motivation was that the OEM feet just fit better than some others I've tried.
Bob

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opifan64
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#48: Post by opifan64 »

Sweet restoration! I own an almost identical machine. What did you use to polish up the stainless steel so nicely?

*never mind... I just read the posts about electropolishing and Brite Boy metal polish.

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drgary
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#49: Post by drgary »

Hi Eric:

Let us know if you find an affordable electropolishing resource who will handle shipped parts. I checked into the resource used by Steve Robinson long ago with his Cremina restoration and found it cost as much as chrome plating. (That may be what it should cost because the process is similar.) See: Restoration of an Olympia Cremina
Gary
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What I WOULD do for a good cup of coffee!

opifan64
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#50: Post by opifan64 »

Hi Gary,

Will do... although it doesn't seem like something that would come very cheap. The results look pretty spectacular and worthwhile though. Thanks for the link. I'll check that out.